Greg Ganske: “I am going to talk about some more examples tonight, but it is not as if we have not had several bipartisan bills…”

“I am going to talk about some more examples tonight, but it is not as if we have not had several bipartisan bills sitting here in Congress this year, last year, bipartisan bills in 1996 with over 300 cosponsors dealing with this problem with no standards for people who are in HMOs and are receiving their insurance through their employer in a self-insured plan because of Federal law. We have two bipartisan bills now, right here sitting here in Congress waiting to be acted on. One is the Patient Bill of Rights. The other is the Patient Access to Responsible Care Act. The second one has about 230 cosponsors. Just by the number of cosponsors alone, if it were on the floor today it would pass. I happen to think that when and if we can get one of these bills to the floor, and overcome the leadership's objections to this legislation, that legislation will pass overwhelmingly in a bipartisan fashion. But why is it being held up? What is the problem? I mean, it is not as if the American public is not calling for this.”